


Wrong About You

by hellsyeah



Series: Rooster Teeth 30 Day Challenge [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Kidnapping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:39:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7062889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellsyeah/pseuds/hellsyeah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray has been working with Joel long enough to realize he's a weird flighty guy. A guy who gives him expensive gifts and wears nerdy sweaters, and weird, and nervous. But he pays well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrong About You

Ray had been working with Joel for the last few months, watching over his drug runs and killing people that tried to get too close. He’d thanked Geoff when he first recommended him to Joel for work. He really thought Geoff would be too bitter about Ray’s decision to leave the crew and cut all communication with him but he’d just sighed and said Ray could come to him for help if he ever needed it. So he’d been thankful when after having a serious lull in work Geoff hooked him up with a semi-steady gig.  
Joel was a nice enough guy, a little weird, but after working with the Fake AH Crew it was going to take more than a nervous guy in dirty sweaters to scare him off. Joel paid well and he only expected Ray to get the job done. That was until Ray started receiving gifts along with his payments. Wildflowers sitting on top of the suitcases of money. Gold watches on his doorknob. New games weeks before they’re released to the public. Once even a new rifle, which while appreciated still sits unused under Ray’s bed because nothing will stop him from using that scarred pink monstrosity. The gifts make Joel’s intentions unknown and leave Ray trying to pick the guy apart every time they meet.  
“I see you crashed another motorcycle,” Adam said as he walked into the office where Ray was sitting cross legged on top of Joel’s desk. Ray shrugged and lifted his leg to point to the Band-Aid on his knee.  
“Scraped my knee and everything. It was brutal.” Adam laughed and dropped into the seat in front of the desk, scratching at his beard.  
“Joel’s gonna offer to buy you a new one, you know?”  
“Offer? I’m gonna go home and it’s going to be sitting in the garage already.”  
“That’s not true…” Joel said, as he entered the room. He scratched at his wrist for a moment, “I might’ve… It’s sitting out front here.”  
Ray raised an eyebrow at him and wrapped his arms around one of his legs. “You’re working fast now. What do you want for it, a blowie? Maybe I warm your lap while you work?” Joel’s face turned red so fast that Ray had to work hard not to laugh at him but Adam didn’t seem to care because he was laughing openly at Joel.  
“That’s not what I want. I don’t expect anything,” Joel said in defense. He huffed and walked around them to sit in his desk chair and tossed a pen at Adam to get him to quit laughing.  
“Oh no, you can’t try that with me. I know when I’m becoming a sugar baby.”  
Joel almost turtled himself in his sweater to hide his face as he sputtered on some incoherent words. He slumped in his chair and didn’t look back at Ray. After a moment he cleared his throat and waved toward the door, “Don’t you have a job to do?”  
Ray made eye contact with Adam, who shrugged, and sighed before sliding off the desk and stretching. “Can you believe this? What kind of sugar daddy makes his baby work for his money?”  
“The ones that are bad at their job, I’m guessing,” Adam said. He dodged another thrown pen and waved to Ray as he left the room.

Joel wasn’t lying. There was a brand new motorcycle waiting outside for Ray when he left the building and he had an intense urge to kick the thing over but Joel had apparently tried to match the shade of pink of his rifle so Ray just patted the seat before climbing on. It wasn’t the stealthiest of bikes but he could use it for joy rides after this job.  
All Ray needed to do was go watch over a drug shipment. Just sit on top of a crate with a big gun and kick his feet until the money was handed over and he could go home. So that’s what he did. He tried no to lean on his gun so much so he would be ready for any stupid moves the dealers tried to make but nothing happened. Joel’s guy inspected the shipment. Some other guy counted the money. Hands were shook. And then Ray could leave and take a fucking nap.  
The first half of the drive home was uneventful, Ray weaved in and out of the heavy traffic and waved as he passed the not so hidden police cars that didn’t bother to chase him. Then someone shot at him. Ray swerved immediately down a back ally and around the side of a building to try and lose whoever it was in a more crowded street. Ray glanced back and just managed to see two motorcycles turn out of the ally he’d left. He was sure there were more of them but he didn’t have time to look back anymore when he was trying not to ram into civilian vehicles.  
He rode through the gap between two lanes of traffic until he realized the civilians weren’t stopping the shooters from shooting at him, so he turned into oncoming traffic and weaved in and out of honking cars. No shots came for a little while and he made the mistake of thinking he had lost them when he made the decision to drive across a bridge instead of taking the ramp down.  
A bullet ricocheted off his bike next to his foot and he cursed, moving into the rough pavement near the railing of the bridge. He left the bridge and took the first turn he could see, right onto a nearly empty road. Ray had plenty of practice in car chases from his time with the Fakes but those were usually with cops and with at least five other people to help him get away.  
The first rocket scared Ray enough to hesitate his next move. The second rocket hit close to the bike and made Ray wobble in his turn. But it was the bullet in his leg that finally made him tip and hit the pavement. He skidded across the road and onto the sidewalk, his hoodie shredding and his helmet knocking into the ground several times. Ray was out before his body stopped moving. 

Waking up tied to a chair has several stages. First came the “ow fuck” stage in which Ray realized he could barely open his eyes without feeling like he needs to puke. Then came the “where am I” stage where Ray noticed he wasn’t in his own house. Third is the “oh shit” stage where Ray realized he’s fucked and then the next stage is usually evaluation of where he was but Ray didn’t make it to that point before the door is opened to whatever room he’s in. He tried to focus on whoever came in but when he looked up he had to squint his eyes and the slam of the door caused him to lurch forward and vomit on the floor and his shoes. The man in the room cursed and Ray heard him open the door again to call for someone but he was already passing out again.

The next time Ray wakes up his head was bandaged and his shirt was gone. Ever other wound on his body had been treated now too, if the wrapping on his leg was anything to go by. His head still pounded and his mouth tasted of old bile but he could open his eyes.  
“Had me worried you’d gone into a coma,” a voice behind him said. Ray rolled a shoulder as an answer. His whole body was heavy like he was trapped in glue. “Had to go and get a fucking concussion. Useless goons can’t even grab people right.” Ray thought that a guy who couldn’t trust his foot soldiers was probably not very good at running anything but his tongue was too dry to voice it. “You ever dealt with that, kid?” Ray huffed through his nose and tried to turn his head to catch a glimpse of the guy behind him but the guy reached out and flicked his bandage which caused a pulse of pain in his brain. “Nu uh, no moving too much. That rich fuck won’t pay if you die.”  
Joel. These men grabbed him because of his connection with Joel. If Ray had the energy he would have started laughing. For once in his life he wasn’t grabbed as Brownman or being used as a way to take down his crew. They wanted money. Ray gripped his fingers into his shorts and tried to settle into the chair. He knew this would take a while. 

A while turned out to be at least three days. Three days of routine bathroom trips and dry rice cakes and the same fucking chair. Ray wasn’t sure if he ever slept but he did know he was bored out of his fucking mind. None of the guys he had seen had tortured him, unless he counted the guy who showed up and hour after he woke up the second time who tried to sew up his bullet wound. Ray could have done a better job stoned as fuck.  
And the thing is maybe he knew that he was nothing but a pretty face and a loaded gun for Joel but the reality of being abandoned at the hands of some low level fuck with incompetent goons was harsh. Ray was worth more than being starved to death in a pair of dirty board shorts. Geoff would have at least sent the B-team in to get him.  
Sometime during the third night Ray woke up to the door to his room being thrown open and an echoing of gunfire somewhere in the building. He made an undignified noise was a gun was pointed at his head and he tried to wiggle the chair away.  
“Who are you?” The guy asked. Ray shook his head but it seemed to just piss the guy off more as he stepped forward to press the metal barrel to his skin. “Don’t play stupid. The fucking Fake AH Crew is mowing down my men and you’re the only thing in this place apparently worth a damn. Cause I know they ain’t after some shitty guns.”  
Ray couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face even if it dropped as soon as the guy jerked the gun again. “Once crew, always crew, I guess.”  
Ray couldn’t find any enjoyment out of the realization dawning on the guys face because it didn’t make him drop the gun. His hands shook more though. The guy started muttering to himself about how this wasn’t part of the plan and Ray almost felt bad. Almost. Then the door opened.  
Ray was thankful for the way the guys hand shook when the noise scared him and he fired his gun at the wall and not into his brain. He caught a glimpse of the doorway as the guy turned and there to save him was Michael. Beautiful Michael who was staring at the guy with the same glare Ray knew was going to end with a lot of blood but instead of shooting the guy in the head Michael shot him in the hip. The guy hit the ground and his gun slid across the room into the wall.  
“I got him boss, back room,” Michael said. Then he grinned at Ray while he went to stand on the guys arm to keep him in place, gun aimed at his forehead. “Long time no see, Ray.”  
“Thought the next time I’d see you would be for some good old fashion virtual shooting,” Ray said, voice humorless.  
“Now, how would that be anything like us?” Michael asked. Ray’s grin mirrored his as they listened to the gunfire in the building slow to silence. Michael looked over to the door right before another body appeared. Ray was expecting Geoff or Ryan but what he got was Joel. Joel covered in blood and holding a knife in his hand.  
“Bring a knife to a gun fight or..?” Ray tried to joke. Joel acted like he didn’t hear him and pointed at the guy on the ground.  
“He the leader?” Joel asked. When Ray nodded that he was Joel bent down over the guy and stabbed the knife into his bullet wound. Ray felt like that would have been the perfect time to drop some kind of one liner but Joel didn’t say a word as he twisted the knife and yanked it out. He looked the guy in the eye and then slit his throat before standing up straight again. Michael whispered “holy shit” but it went unnoticed and the room dropped back into silence. Ray realized this was the first time he’d ever seen Joel not look nervous.  
A few moments later Ray cleared his throat. “So, is someone going to untie me or did I just get new captors?” He asked. Michael laughed and Joel’s murderous expression melted back into the nervous smile that Ray knew well.

One crew reunion later in which Ryan poked at every inch of skin he could looking for signs of torture before Ray pushed him away and Geoff nearly cooed over him like a mother hen, Ray was given the all clear to go home. And no matter how much he could tell Jack wanted to take him back to Caleb for a thorough checkup and his fellow lads wanted him to go with them, he assured that Joel’s doctors were plenty good enough. He had to promise to visit more though. No one liked hostage situations being the reason for family dinner.  
Joel hadn’t said much since he untied Ray in the room but he had given him an extra sweater that had been stuffed in the back of his car and hovered behind him while his old crew said goodbye. He led Ray back to his car slowly because after being carried from the building Ray had declined being carried to the car. “Been sitting on my ass for three days Joel, let me stretch a little,” he had said.  
In the car Ray let his head rest on the window and only moved when Joel mentioned that the bumpy road might irritate his concussion. Ray rolled his eyes but leaned back in the seat and looked over at Joel instead. He managed to stay awake for the entire ride back to the house and was conscious even as Joel’s medical staff helped him into a bath. But he didn’t quite make it through the rebandaging of his wounds. 

When he woke up the next time it was in a warm bed and he was dressed in a clean shirt he was also wearing clean boxers as he confirmed after a moment of panic. Nothing like being mostly naked in someone else’s bed. He heard something move and pushed himself up enough to see Joel grab something out of the dresser and move to leave the room.  
“Joel,” Ray called. Joel paused and turned toward him like a terrified kitten. He shuffled in place for a moment and Ray was reminded that this was the same guy who hours before had been covered in multiple people’s blood and looking more dangerous than Ray could think was possible.  
“Sorry if I woke you…” He said. “And sorry that it took so long to find you. I tried for the first day and then I panicked and I called Geoff because Gavin’s better at tracking than anyone I know. And then he had trouble and I was gonna just pay the guys off but Adam said they’d probably kill you if I did and then-“  
“Joel shit, shut up.” Ray flopped back on the bed and reached up to rub his temple. “We can talk about it later.” Ray didn’t want to talk about it ever. It was a lame kidnapping, really.  
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” Joel’s voice was quiet and Ray almost missed it. He heard the man move and then the door creak. Ray sat up and scowled.  
“If you fucking leave me in here alone after the last three days I will burn your house down,” Ray said. Joel hesitated but started moving closer after a moment and Ray smiled as he patted the space on the bed next to him. Joel sat on top of the covers and moved to sit up against the headboard. Ray rolled his eyes and scooted over, dropping his pillow onto Joel’s legs and laying his head back down. “I guess I can be your sugar baby now.”  
“That’s still not what I meant to happen,” Joel said. Ray reached up blindly until he found Joel’s arm and led his hand to his hair. Joel got the hint and started running his fingers through his hair slowly, being careful of his wounds.  
Ray hummed. “Too bad, stuck with me now.” Even if Joel was a nervous rich guy who was trying to buy his affection, Ray was willing to put some trust in him.  
It was a few minutes before Joel said anything else, which gave Ray enough time to start to drift off again. Joel’s hand paused his petting and he murmured, “I can live with that.” And Ray huffed before he let himself drift off to sleep. He could question Joel about his murdering in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the inspiration prompt "I was wrong about you"


End file.
